Small Problem
by Cleon Heartfell
Summary: When Urushihara runs out, he wakes up several hours later as a small child remembering nothing except his REAL name. He's taken in by a young woman, and later found by Ashiya and Maou. The question is- who did this to the fallen angel and can they fix it?
1. Child in the Rain

"You lazy bum!" Ashiya shouted. "At least pick up after yourself!"

"Whatever," Urushihara muttered, picking up the spilled soda can.

"Hmph, at least you're finally doing something around here," the blonde general snorted. "No job, no school, you don't even help out around the house!"

"If I'm so useless, then maybe I should just leave!" the fallen angel shouted.

"Maybe you should!"

"I will!" he said, slipping on his shoes and storming outside.

* * *

~that evening~

Riku groaned, looking out at the rain. "It was supposed to be a nice evening," she muttered. At least she brought an umbrella.

She stepped outside of her mechanic shop, locking the front door before turning to walk towards her motorcycle so she could drive home. She noticed a small, soaking-wet mass of clothing by the edge of the sidewalk. It was moving. She walked over to the mass. Under a far-too-big purple-and-white shirt was huddled a small child with waist-length purple hair, maybe five or six years old. Riku couldn't tell if the child was male or female, but it was asleep.

She picked up the child. Upon further inspection, she noticed that the child was badly injured, bleeding in several places and bruised in others. There was something else- a pair of black wings that sprouted from the child's shoulder blades. They were fluffy and small, like a baby bird's.

* * *

Riku decided to bring the child home with her. She set it on the couch in her living room.

"Hmm... I should get you some dry clothes, ne?" she said. "I wonder if Ryuu-kun's old clothes will fit you." She went up to the attic, thankful she hadn't given away _all_ of her brother's clothes.

She walked downstairs with a pair of pajamas. Pulling the soaking wet shirt off the child, she realized that it was male. She then dried the boy off and treated his injuries before putting him in the clean clothes she'd found for him.

Setting him back on the couch, Riku decided to brew herself some tea while she waited for the child to wake up. She sat down with the tea. Who was that child? Why did he have wings? Was he some kind of angel or something? She wondered how he'd gotten hurt so badly, wanting to throttle whoever thought hurting something something so small and innocent was a good idea.

She heard a small gasp. Walking into the living room, she found the boy trembling under the table.

Riku smiled, crouching next to his hiding place. She held out a hand to him. "It's okay," she said softly. "You're safe with me, I promise. My name's Riku, what's yours?"

He looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. They were such beautiful violet orbs, made even more so by the long, thick lashes that framed them. He took her hand hesitantly."L-Lucifer," he whispered. His stomach growled.

Riku laughed. "Hungry? Come on, let's get you something to eat."

* * *

Maou came home from work to find one of his generals missing. The one that never left the house. "Where's Urushihara?" he asked.

Ashiya shrugged. "I yelled at him for being lazy and he ran off. I'm sure he'll come home soon, it's pouring outside."

Maou looked out the window at the rain pouring outside, making it difficult to see far outside. "I hope so."

* * *

 _Riku POV_

I warmed up some stew I'd made for dinner earlier, setting the bowl in front of Lucifer. Lucifer... that name sounded oddly familiar, and I think I knew where I'd heard it (no, not the Bible), especially with those wings. I decided to check my "source" after the boy went to sleep again. No, I didn't put anything in the stew, but he _was_ slightly feverish from being out in the rain for who-knows-how-long, so he was gonna need plenty of rest and it was 9 pm.

"How did you get hurt?" I asked. "What on earth were you doing out in the rain in just an over-sized T-shirt?"

The boy shrugged. "Dunno."

 _Hmmm... I should see if he remembers anything else._ "What about your parents? Maybe I should call them." He shook his head.

"Your last name? Where you live?" Same response.

"Anything at all?"

The fact that he couldn't was scaring him. Trembling, he shook his head. He started to cough violently. "My throat hurts," he whispered after the coughing subsided.

I stood up. "Hang on, I think I might have some cold medicine. I'll be back." I walked into the bathroom, searching for the sought-after liquid. I was out. Shit. I walked back into the room. "I'm out of cold medicine. Do you think you could wait on the couch while I go to the store to get some? I'll get you a blanket."

He grabbed my pant leg. "I want to go with you." Of course. The kid seemed to have amnesia. I was the only person he knew, and I appeared to be safe. _Of course_ he wouldn't want me to leave him.

I nodded. "All right. Lemme find you some shoes, okay?"

It was raining even harder outside. I had my umbrella, and some of Ryuu's rain boots that sort of fit Lucifer (they were a bit big, actually), and we walked out the door.

It was strange, having someone so small trotting alongside me, kind of like when Ryuu was still alive. Ryuu... I needed to quit thinking about him. He'd been dead for three years, I needed to move on.

"Am I gonna stay with you?" Lucifer asked suddenly.

I paused. I hadn't really thought about it. "I suppose so," I finally said. "At least until we find your parents."

We got closer to the store. "I still think we should look for him," a familiar voice was saying.

"I'm sure he's fine," another familiar voice replied. Maou and Ashiya? I had a tendency to run into them whenever I went to the store, specifically Ashiya.

"Is everything all right?" I asked, walking up to the pair.

Ashiya is the first one to notice me. "Ah, Kohaku-san! Everything's fine!" He noticed Lucifer hiding behind me. "Who's that?"

"Ah! This is Lucifer! I found him abandoned by the side of the road a couple hours ago and I'm gonna take care of him until we find his parents." I turned to the boy. "It's okay, sweetie. They're not going to hurt you, I promise. They're harmless, trust me."

He stepped out from behind me. Maou and Ashiya's eyes widened. "URUSHIHARA?!"


	2. Discovery

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!  
**

 **lonelygirl719- I hope you like the rest of it. I have plans.  
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 **wolfgirl12390- Good.**

* * *

 _Riku POV_

"URUSHIHARA?!" Ashiya and Maou shouted, startling the child. He ran behind me again.

I, on the other hand, was simply confused. Ashiya had mentioned his smaller roommate before, but he'd also told me that Urushihara was in his late teens. "Isn't Urushihara a lot older?" I asked.

Maou nodded. "But they look exactly the same, and Urushihara's missing. We also deal with a lot of... strange things."

My eyes narrowed. There was something that had been bugging me that was starting to make some sense. "Is Urushihara, perhaps, a fallen angel?"

They stared at me, shocked. "How did you-" Ashiya started to ask, but I stopped him.

"This isn't a great place to talk," I said. "Lemme run in and grab some cold medicine, and we can continue the discussion at my house." Lucifer (or Urushihara, or whoever he was, really) followed me into the store.

"Who's Urushihara?" the boy asked me.

I shrugged. "A friend of those two. I never met him before." Except maybe right now.

The four of us walked back to my house in silence. "I expected an apartment," Ashiya commented. It was a two-story, three bedroom house with a wall separating the yard from the street.

"Why? Because I'm a mechanic?" I said, insulted. "I make good money. Besides, it belonged to my parents, when they were alive."

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" Ashiya said, flustered. He paused. "Your parents are dead?"

I nodded, refusing to elaborate. I led them inside. Before talking to Ashiya and Maou, however, I had to take care of Lucifer. I poured out some medicine while he was having another coughing fit. I handed him the medicine. "Drink this. It'll help you feel better." It was also the drowsy kind, so I had a feeling he'd be down for the count pretty soon.

He shook his head. "Nuh-uh. It smells yucky."

Ashiya opened his mouth, probably to order him to take it anyways. "Well, you can drink the medicine, or you can keep coughing and feeling yucky. It's up to you."

Lucifer sat there, silently weighing his options before drinking the medicine. He made a face before yawning. "Let's get you to bed," I said, picking him up and carrying him up to the spare bedroom.

I walked downstairs. "Okay, let's talk."

"First of all, how did you know Urushihara was a fallen angel?" Maou asked.

"I didn't," I said. "You just told me. But it makes sense. Lucifer is a fallen angel, and it seemed strange for someone so young to Fall. "

"Oh. How did you know about fallen angels in the first place?"

I shrugged. "They existed in my mother's world."

"Is your mother from Ente-" Ashiya asked.

"Ente Isla? Yeah. Is that where you three are from?" They both nodded.

I leaned against the table. "Would you mind me asking why you're living with one of the four demon generals?"

So they told me how they ended up on Earth. I was a bit surprised, the way my mother had described Satan and his generals had me imagining them as something a bit more fierce. Oh well, people change.

"You're taking this pretty well," Maou noted.

I shrugged. "I've dealt this a lot of things in my life." _Like my parents' murders.._ I stood. "I think the first thing would be to figure out if it really is Lucifer upstairs."

"How?" Ashiya asked.

I grinned. "I know a spell that reveals a person's true form."

They followed me upstairs. Walking up to the sleeping child, I put a hand on his warm forehead and whispered " ".

His form switched from small child to absolutely sexy fallen angel, still asleep. I grinned. Maybe I could undo the spell this way.

Bad idea. I managed to keep him in his true form for exactly five seconds before the opposing spell sent me flying back into the wall, changing Lucifer back. I blacked out.

* * *

"... come on, wake up!" I heard Ashiya beg.

"Shaking her isn't going to help," Maou commented.

I groaned, opening my eyes. "Well, that was a bad idea," I muttered, sitting up.

"You're awake!" Ashiya said.

"What happened?" Maou asked.

"Whoever cast that spell was f****ing powerful, that's what," I said. "Please tell me you guys were right at least."

They both nodded. "What now?" Maou asked.

I shrugged. "Figuring out how to work around that spell's gonna take time... although restoring his memories should be a bit easier, just need to find that spell..."

"What?"

I sighed. "My parents kept a book of a bunch of spells. My dad wasn't from Earth or Ente Isla, and his world had magic as well. I might have something that would restore Lucifer's memories."

"Oh."

I looked at the sleeping child. "I think he should stay with me. I actually know how to handle children, and I doubt your apartment could handle one."

"Seems reasonable. When you find that spell-"

"I'll come find you. Mind telling me where you guys live?"

Maou nodded, writing down their address and his phone number. Then they left.

I groaned, looking at my watch. It was already after midnight. Time for bed.


	3. Thoughts

**Wow. You guys really like this story! Was not expecting so many reviews...**

 **Okay, I know the fanfic "Morning Start" _is_ similar to my story. The thing is, I love it when characters shrink/ turn into little kids, and it happened to be a great starting point for a much larger plot, which will become clearer as the story progresses.**

 **Well, here's the update! Might be a bit odd since I'm on five hours of sleep (at best), but enjoy!**

 **Onto the next chapter!**

* * *

 _Riku POV_

Lucifer wandered downstairs while I was eating breakfast. He sat down next to me.

"Feeling better?" He nodded.

I smiled, ruffling his hair. "Good." Which is when I realized something- what was I gonna do with him while I was at work? I guessed he could come with me, I owned the business so I made the rules...

"Wanna come with me to work today?" I asked.

He nodded. "What do you do, neechan?"

I shrugged. "I fix things. I can fix anything people give me!" I said proudly.

"Are you gonna fix my memories?"

I nodded, standing up to put my dishes away. "Yup!" I looked down at him. "Maybe I'll close up early so we can by you some clothes of your own."

"What about these?" He asked, pointing at what he was wearing.

"They're a bit big on you," I said. "Besides, they're someone else's clothes."

"Oh."

* * *

 _Third Person POV_

Ashiya sighed, looking at the clock. Maou would be home soon, he should probably get dinner started.

It had been three days since Lucifer had moved in with Riku, and Ashiya hadn't been able to get Riku out of his head.

It was frustrating, really. He kept imagining the times he'd made her laugh in the past- without trying to, normally- and the stinging pain he'd felt when he realized he'd insulted her. Why was it that the thought of seeing her hurt, seeing her upset, made him so angry?

What was it about her that fascinated him? She was just some ordinary, stubborn, amazing, smart, beautiful young woman. Wait a second, where did those thoughts come from?

Someone knocked on the door. Ashiya walked over to open it.

Riku and Lucifer were standing in front of him. Riku was grinning. "Hey, is everyone here? I have great news!"

* * *

 _Riku POV_

Maou arrived a few minutes later, followed by a bunch of girls- Yusa Emi, Sasaki Chiho, and Suzuno (can't remember the rest of her name...)

"Who's the brat?" Emi asked, pointing at Lucifer. Maou and Ashiya explained the situation to them.

"So, have you found a spell?" Maou asked me.

I nodded. "To an extent. It looks like my father was working on a spell that could be used to reverse amnesia, but it's not complete. I could probably finish his work."

"Okay, do you need anything?"

"Someone to test the spell on. And not Lucifer. If I mess up, it could kill him. Someone who actually has memories. It's safer."

"Ashiya," Maou said, pointing at his roommate/ general.

"WHAT?!" Ashiya shouted.

"It won't kill you," I said. "Although if I really mess up, you _might_ end up an amnesiac."

"That's fine," Maou said. "Grab him whenever you need him. Are you guys staying for dinner?"

I shook my head. "We already ate. We should probably get going."

He nodded. "Later."

Lucifer and I walked home. "Why was that man upset?" Lucifer asked.

I shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe he was mad that he got picked."

"Is he gonna help fix my memories?"

"Yup." I decided not to tell them that aspects of Lucifer's personality could change based on whatever happens between now and whenever we restore his memories. I was already starting to get an idea of what was probably changes- Lucifer was really sweet and shy, had a tendency to hide and loved books. Maybe I'd enroll him in first grade, he'd probably enjoy the chance to learn new things.

If I did, I couldn't use the name Lucifer. Not only would it stand out, it would probably attract whoever erased his memory in the first place. Considering who they were, there were a lot of possibilities. Maybe I'd talk to them about it tomorrow.

My mind drifted back to Ashiya. Waiting for the others was a bit more awkward than I'd expected. Especially after Ashiya tripped over Lucifer, landing on top of me, face inches from mine. He was beet red when Maou had walked in a second later.

~the next day~

I made sure everyone was home the next time Lucifer and I walked over.

Maou opened the door. "Kohaku!"

"I'd like to test out what I have so far. Is Ashiya busy?"

"Nah. He just finished making dinner. Come in."

Lucifer and I walked inside. "It'll be easier for me if Ashiya lays down," I said.

He obeyed. "Close your eyes." I put my hand on his forehead. " _Indicent quid cogitaverit animus abditos._ "

I pulled my hand away a few seconds later, blushing furiously.

"Did it work?" Maou asked. Ashiya started to get up.

I shook my head. "The- uh, the spell let me see his thoughts," I stammered. I stood. "I'll fix the spell and try again later. Come on, Lucifer."


	4. Remember

**Thanks guys! I'm really happy you all like it!**

 **I'm going to make an effort to make my updates more predictable, but I can't promise anything.**

* * *

 _Riku POV_

The next day was Saturday. I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.

"What is it, Mikazuki?" I asked, yawning.

 _"Are you ready to go? We're_ _on our way over to your house."_

"Go where?" I asked, still groggy.

 _"DID YOU FORGET OUR TRIP?!"_ Yuki screeched through the phone.

"Trip?" I looked at the calendar. "Crap. It's today, isn't it?"

 _"OF COURSE IT IS!"_ Yuki continued to shout. I wondered how Mika and I weren't deaf already.

 _"We'll be over in 45 minutes,"_ Mika said, probably having taken the phone from Yuki. _"Get ready."_

I groaned, flopping back in bed. Once a year Mika, Yuki and I spent three days in Kyoto, as a chance to catch up with our friends Kiyoshi and Sora. The five of us had come over with our parents 12 years ago, and enjoyed the chance to catch up with each other.

Maybe I could take Lucifer along... that would probably be fine. "Hey, Lucifer-kun! Get up, we're going on a trip!"

* * *

 _3rd Person POV_

"Come on, what were you thinking about?" Maou asked. He'd been bugging Ashiya about it nonstop, what it was that he'd been thinking of that made Riku take off so fast.

"It wasn't anything major, sire," Ashiya said for the 1000th time.

"Hey, there's Riku-san! Let's go ask her what it was!"

Riku and Lucifer were walking with a pair of young women about Riku's age. One had bright blue hair and the other's was auburn. The blue-haired girl seemed energetic and bubbly, while her friend was more subdued.

"They appear to be busy," Ashiya said. "Perhaps another time." He really didn't want her to tell.

"Hmmm... I wonder what she's up to. Maybe we should follow her," Maou suggested.

"It's not our business who she associates with," Ashiya defended, still trying to keep him away from Riku.

"No, but Urushihara _is,_ and he's with them. Come on!"

They followed the group to the train station when Riku vanished from view. "Where'd she go?" Maou asked, looking around.

"Right here." Both jumped ten feet at the sound of Riku behind them. "Would you mind telling me why you've been following me?"

"Uh, we were... umm..." Maou seemed at a loss of what to say without actually telling her the truth. Suddenly, he started to feel dizzy. The world was spinning.

"Maou-sama!" Ashiya shouted before Maou passed out.


	5. Sleepsong

**Amethyst Ribbon Three-star mie: That's about to be explained. But it's not over just yet. And I checked out the fic you suggested. It's good!**

 **Hi guys! I'm really happy that I could write the next! Things are about to get really crazy~**

* * *

Maou groaned. His head felt like it had been used as a battering ram, and the rest of him could barely _move._ He felt shaky, weak. Pathetic.

"Glad to see you're still with us."

He opened his eyes. He was sitting up, Riku was across from him, doing something on her laptop.

"Maou-sama! You're all right!" Ashiya exclaimed in his ear, making Maou wince. The blonde was sitting next to him.

"What happened?" Maou asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Noises hurt, period.

"Mikazuki, a friend of mine," Riku explained. "Maou-san, you're the most powerful of the three of you, right?" He gave a slight nod. "I thought so. If a person is powerful enough, Mika will subconsciously attack them until they are deemed an ally. She didn't try to, I promise."

"Oh."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'll better before we get to Kyoto." She looked around, then groaned. "Where did he run off to?" She sighed. "I'll be back," she said before leaving.

"Kyoto?" Maou asked.

Ashiya nodded. "That's where they were going. Kohaku-san was worried that her friend had seriously injured you, and she arranged for us to spend the weekend with her and her friends in Kyoto. She even arranged for you to receive paid time off."

"How did she do that?" Ashiya just shrugged.

* * *

 _Riku POV_

"Figured I'd find you here."

Lucifer turned around, giving me a kicked-puppy look. "Am I in trouble, Neechan?"

"Nah." I sat next to the massive window beside him. "There's a lot of cool scenery, huh, Luci-chan?" I'd started calling him that, even though he didn't like it.

He glared at me before admitting "It's pretty."

When we walked back to our seats, Ashiya was arguing with Yuki about "Earth mythology." I didn't pay too much attention to it, just ignored the two and went back to my computer. I was creating an online comic, and it was getting pretty popular. Mika went back to her book, Lucifer fell asleep leaning up against me, and Maou kept telling Yuki and Ashiya to be quiet (they couldn't seem to stop bickering). But he didn't look any better than when I'd left him to look for Lucifer. His face had paled, his breathing had started to become ragged and even- just slightly.

"How are you feeling, Maou?" I asked. He just groaned, closing his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. That wasn't good. I pressed a hand to his forehead. I hissed, drawing my hand back.

Ashiya and the others looked at me. "What's wrong?" Mika asked.

"Maou. Mika's magic, it's making him ill."

Mika groaned. "Seriously? Why is everyone allergic to it?"

"Uhh, because your powers are meant to kill?"

"Point taken."

"It's killing him?!" Ashiya almost shrieked.

I gave him a warning glare. "Slowly, but, yes. I can stop it, don't worry. I just need some more space. We'll be in Kyoto in a few minutes. After that, we'll head over to the hotel and I can get to work on healing him."

* * *

 _3rd person POV_

Ashiya continued to pace the room. He was next door to Riku's room, where she'd been healing Maou for the past five hours. He was the only one that seemed worried, however. Everyone else seemed perfectly calm. Sora- a young man with platinum blonde hair- stood. "You know what? It's been a while. I'm gonna check on Yume, see if she needs anything."

"Good idea," Mika said, not looking up from her book.

"I'll come with you," Ashiya said, following him.

They knocked on the door. "Riku? How's it going?" No answer. Sora opened the door, Ashiya looking over his shoulder into the room.

There were two beds in the room. Maou was on one of them, and so was Yume. She appeared to be asleep.

Sora chuckled softly. "So she's done, then."

"How do you know?"

"Look, you probably don't know Riku all that well. She'd never take a break while healing someone, not until she knows for sure they're perfectly safe." He walked into the room, picking up the young woman and putting her in the empty bed. "Your friend should be waking up soon, and then we can all go out."

"What about Kohaku-san?"

"She'll probably sleep for a while. Trying to get rid of Mika's magic tends to be exhausting."

"Oh." That's when he finally noticed Lucifer sitting in a chair. Stacked next to him were a couple of a books and his PASTA. The device was completely ignored in favor of the book he was currently engrossed in. Wait, what?

"You're... reading?" Ashiya said, completely shocked.

Lucifer looked up. "Yup! Neechan gave me this really cool book and I'm almost done with it!" he chirped.

"But, what about your video games?"

The child shrugged. "Maybe when I'm done reading."

Sora knelt to be face-to-face with the fallen-angel-turned-child. "Hey, Lucifer-kun? Would you tell Maou-san we're in the other room when he wakes up?"

He nodded. "Sure!"

About an hour later, the demon king stirred. He stifled a yawn as he stretched, sitting up in bed. Bed? Wait, where was he? This wasn't his apartment, and it certainly wasn't the train.

He saw Riku asleep in the other bed. Was it night... no, sunlight was coming in through the window. Well, the last light of the day, as the sun was setting. He looked around, to see Lucifer sitting in a chair, reading.

"Lucifer?"

He looked up. "Hi, Maou-niisan!"

"Where are we?"

"At the hotel. Oh yeah! Sora-niisan said to tell you everyone's in the room over there," he said, pointing. He yawned.

"Tired?" Maou asked. Lucifer nodded, eyes struggling to stay open. Maou got out of bed, walking over to the boy. "Why don't you go to sleep?"

"Okay." Lucifer tried to stifle another yawn.

Maou smiled, picking up the child and carrying him to the now-empty bed. The fallen angel was asleep in second.

Maou paused, looking at the small sleeping figure. He looked so peaceful, so innocent, nothing like the demon general he'd seen in Ente Isla, or the lazy NEET that had been living in his apartment. The demon wondered what caused Lucifer to change so much, what destroyed the child he'd been, why he fell from Heaven. He wondered if he'd ever know the reasons. Maybe he wouldn't. But maybe Riku's spell might let him take a peek into the mind of his fallen angel.


	6. Jealousy

**Guest: Yeah, still writing it. Haven't because I have issues with continuing stories when no one reviews. Kinda feels like no one cares about the story when that happens so I think, so why bother?**

 **Aaaannnnd then life happened. Sprained ankles, calculus (which I'm pretty sure can be used as a form of torture), parents beings d***s and kicking me out of the house because I'm dating a girl. (Haruki Aya is her name here on Fanfiction, she can't update her stuff because NO ONE remembers her password, even our friend Alyssa who remembers EVERYTHING)**

 **Let that be a lesson to you all- if you want more of this story, review! I know people are following this, so I know people are informed when I update!**

 **I own nothing except my OC's! The song is "Clowns (Can You See Me Now)" by t.A.T.u. It's a cool song, you should totally listen to it.**

* * *

"Okay, let's go eat dinner, and how about karaoke later?" Kiyoshi suggested after Maou had walked in and introductions had been made.

"What about Kohaku-san?" Ashiya asked. "Shouldn't we wait for her?"

"She'll be asleep for a while," Sora said. "She'd be mad if we waited up."

There was a knock on the door. Yuki opened it, her face lighting up. "Akira! I didn't know you were in town! So glad you managed to find us! How was Beijing?"

A young man about their age strode in. His hair was chin-length and slightly wavy, dark brown turning red at the tips. His eyes were even more exotic, looking like a sunset was captured within his irises. His outift reminded Maou and Ashiya of descriptions they'd heard of a punk or a goth, blacks and reds making up almost his entire wardrobe, except for the violet teardrop-shaped pendant he wore around his neck (Ashiya remembered Riku wearing an identical one earlier). He shrugged. "It was all right." He looked around the room. "Where's Riku?"

"Sleeping," Sora said calmly. "We were about to get something to eat. Wanna come along?"

* * *

Riku and Urushihara joined the group not long after they started eating. Riku seemed more than comfortable with the strong-and-silent Akira, leaning against him as she laughed at a joke that only the two of them seemed to understand. There was something about that, something about the way Akira _looked at her,_ that just ticked Ashiya off.

Sora raised a concerned eyebrow at Ashiya. "Are you okay? You look like someone just insulted your dignity."

"Fine," Ashiya retorted.

"HEY SORA!" Yuki cheered. She was very, very drunk. "Lez go ding some karaoke," she slurred.

* * *

It was Riku's turn to sing. She walked up and chose a song, no one being able to tell what she'd picked.

"This'll be good,"Kiyoshi whispered to Ashiya. "Riku's a great singer."

The music started. "YESSS!" Yuki shouted. "I LOVE THIS SONG!"

Riku smiled, and started to sing.

 _Can you see me now?  
Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see?_

Ashiya had to admit, Riku really was a good singer. Much better than Yuki or Mikazuki. Although the alcohol could have been affecting their performance, Yuki reeked of it.

 _All this weeping in the air who can tell where it will fall?_  
 _Through floating forests in the air 'cross the rolling open sea_  
 _Blow a kiss, I run through air, leave the past, find nowhere_  
 _Floating forests in the air, clowns all around you_

Riku appeared to be lost in her own world. She started to dance to the song.

 _Clowns that only let you know where you let your senses go_  
 _Clowns all around you, it's a cross I need to bear_  
 _All this black and cruel despair, this is an emergency_  
 _Don't you hide your eyes from me, open them and see me now_

 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see?_

 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_

 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see me now?_

 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Clowns all around you_  
 _Can you see?_

Akira smirked, standing up and walking over to Riku. She didn't notice.

 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see me now?_

Akira picked up a mic and started to sing with Riku. She paused, startled, but continued the song.

 _See me here in the air not holding on to anywhere_  
 _But holding on, so beware I have secrets I won't share_  
 _See me here pushing you, if I then deny I do_  
 _Contemplate or wish away, if I ask you not to stay_

 _Clowns that only let you know where you let your senses go_  
 _Clowns all around you, it's a cross I need to bear_  
 _All this black and cruel despair, this is an emergency_  
 _Don't you hide your eyes from me, open them and see me now_

They continued to sing, staring into each others eyes. Akira looked at her with an intensity that made Ashiya's blood boil with rage.

 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see me now?_

And Riku, Riku looked back at him with such hope and fondness that for some odd reason made Ashiya want to wring Akira's neck.

 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see?_

Akira moved closer to Riku. It looked like they were about to... he didn't know what, but he couldn't take it any more. Ashiya slammed his hands into the table- startling everyone- before silently standing and storming out the door.

 _Can you see?_  
 _Can you see me now?_

"Ashiya?" Riku called, concerned. "Is everything all right? Are you okay?"

 _Clowns all around you_  
 _Can you see me now?_  
 _Can you see?_

"Ashiya?"

* * *

Riku moved to chase after Ashiya, but Sora stopped her. "Don't, imouto," he said. "I'll go talk to him."

"I'm gonna come too!" Lucifer said, getting up. "I can help!"

Sora smiled. "Sure," he said, ruffling the fallen angel's hair.

The pair found Ashiya outside, cursing in Enteran at a vending machine that was refusing to give him an iced coffee. "Wow, spending money," Sora commented, folding his arms and leaning against a wall. Lucifer tried to copy his bada**-ness, but only succeeded in looking cute."If what my sis said is true, then you've got to be pissed."

"Your sister?" Ashiya asked, startled out of his thoughts.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, the girl you have a crush on."

"Crush? I do not have such a thing on anyone," Ashiya snorted.

Sora laughed. "Oh really? Cuz you really seem to be into Riku. She's my little sister, couldn't you have guessed? Same platinum blonde hair, same olive-green eyes."

"Oh."

Lucifer seemed to be getting what was going on. "Ashiya really likes Neechan, doesn't she?" he asked. "He really, _really_ likes her."

"What do you mean?" Ashiya asked, still not sure what they were insinuating.

Sora rolled his eyes. "We're saying you've fallen in love with Riku-chan. Pretty hard, from the looks of it. And you're pretty jealous over her relationship with Akira-kun, too."


	7. Reveal

**I'm still alive! Sorry for the wait, was having to help out my friends (Alec and Alyssa Moon her on Fanfiction) with Alyssa's PTSD and schizophrenia diagnosis. Along with the police investigation of their stepdad and their mother deciding she officially wants nothing to do with them. I think it's a good thing since their mom is a passive-agressive, manipulative b**** whose every interaction with the twins leaves Alyssa a total emotional train wreck that me and Alec spend the next two days trying to fix. So, uh, yeah. That's what I've been doing. Also trying to figure out how to finance next year of college because FAFSA is stupid.**

 **Guest- yeah. Still writing, just had stupid life**

 **KnightOwl- Thanks. And she still can't figure it out. Been a while since she logged on, so it makes sense**

 **CrossoverLover2013- well, here's the update.**

 **Sorry the chapter's short. But it's important, i swear!**

 **Whelp, I don't own Hataraku Maou Sama. Please read and review!**

* * *

"I am not jealous!" Ashiya declared.

Sora snorted. "Right. Because, _obviously,_ a person who wasn't jealous that someone else had a special bond with their crush and sang a duet with them would _totally_ throw a silent hissy fit and storm out of the room."

Ashiya glared at him. "I may not fully understand many human emotions but I. Am. Not. Jealous."

Sora shrugged. "Whatever. Then, what about your feelings for Riku? You can't exactly deny that, although Riku's kind of oblivious to it."

"I don't have to take this," Ashiya said, trying to walk away, only to find his path blocked by Sora and Lucifer. Ashiya honestly considered picking Lucifer up and moving him out of the way, but then he'd still have to deal with Sora.

"Really? But I think you need to deal with this," Sora said. "You can't run from your emotions forever."

"So what?" Ashiya yelled finally snapping. "Maybe I do like the girl! Maybe I do think she's beautiful and smart and kind and supportive and gentle and wonderful! Maybe I am incredibly greatful to the woman who helped me and Maou-sama when we first got here, who still continues to help us even now!"

Sora grinned, a cocky, smug smirk. "Knew it."

"Wait, what?"

"You essentially just admitted to having a crush on my sister." He shrugged. "But you better make a move on it. I know for a fact that Akira's planning on getting Riku to go out with him before he leaves, maybe even convince her to live with him." He walked away.

* * *

So apparently they were staying for three days in Kyoto. Akira had three days to confess to Riku and if Ashiya can't stop him, he may never see her again. Shit.

Now how was he going to do this? He knew next to nothing about women, much less human ones. What could he do to keep her with him?

Sort of with him. After all, she lived on her own and they weren't dating or anything...

Crap. Now he's rambling.

But he seriously needed a plan. Maybe he could keep Riku away from Akira...

Yeah, that would work. If Akira's not around Riku, then he can't talk to her, can't make her move in with Akira.

To do that, he'd have to keep Riku separate from the group.

How on earth was he going to do that?


	8. Outing

**Woohoo! I am BACK, y'all! And I'm allowed to use y'all because I spent half my life in the south. The other half, well part of it was on the East coast, another part in Utah, and the rest in Oregon. But, that's off-topic.**

 **Sorrysorrysorry it's been so long. The easiest way to explain my life since January is "My life never seems to calm down for more than a few weeks at a time. Then something else blows up in my face." I said that to a friend who was commenting on my hectic life. And said calm spells are spent catching up on my sleep and just about everything else. Which leaves me very little time to write. Ehhh, but I try. At least it's not as bad as Alyssa's life, she has to deal with ghosts!**

 **Anyways, KnightOwl247- Glad you enjoyed it. Not sure how you're stomach is involved, but o-kay!**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases- Yeah, it kinda drives me crazy how little some people update their work. Then again, this story went dormant for about two months so guess that's the teapot calling the kettle black on my end. Kiddie Lucifer is just adorable, isn't he? Regular Lucifer is cute, so...**

 **Meg- Glad you like this! Wait, can anons leave names now? I think this is an anon, I have no idea. Anyways, thanks!**

* * *

Ashiya wound up spending all night researching and trying to come up with a plan. Oddly enough, it was Riku herself that helped him keep her away from everyone else.

He'd just angrily tossed yet another piece of paper littered with a doomed plan (holding her captive until the end of the trip by tying her up and locking her in some abandoned shack was a very, very bad idea) at the trashcan and was debating on whether or not he should actually attempt sleep (he was in the hotel lobby, not wanting to wake up Maou-sama) when he heard someone whisper "You look frustrated. Is something wrong?" causing him to shriek and jump back about ten feet, landing in a defensive stance. When later asked Ashiya would deny everything.

He looked at the person who was none other than Riku herself, who was currently trying- unsuccessfully- to avoid laughing at him. He glared at her and she just laughed harder. Eventually she quieted, announcing, "Okay, I'm good."

Ashiya glared at her before glancing up at the clock. "It's barely seven in the morning and we didn't go to bed until well past midnight. What on earth are you doing up?"

Riku shrugged. "Don't always need eight hours if you're me. Six does just fine on most days. What about you, you look like you didn't sleep _at all._ "

"I didn't. I was... trying to figure something out."

Riku sighed, "If you're trying to figure out a way to open the Gate so that you and your comrades can return home, forget it. The Gate's sealed shut, for the time being. Nothing's going to open it, no matter what world you're in."

"How do you know that? Why is it sealed?"

"Reasons," she said. Whatever the reason, it seemed to upset the young woman. So Ashiya decided to change the subject.

"So, Kohaku-san, about what you saw in my mind-"

The platinum blonde held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. Just, don't. Okay? I saw what I saw and neither of us can take that back. Don't get why you were thinking about _that,_ though. I mean, you sorta know me, but not as well as, say, Kiyoshi."

"But I'd like to get to know you better," Ashiya argued.

"Not by doing what you were thinking of, you're not."

"No! Not like that! Of course not!"

Riku smirked. "Good. But, seriously, quit calling me by my last name if you wanna know me better. I hate formalities, in case you haven't noticed. At least call me Riku-chan."

"I'll do my best Koha- err, Riku-chan," Ashiya said. He paused. "What are the plans for today?"

"Not too sure what everyone else has planned. But I know what _I_ wanna do today."

* * *

Riku ended up dragging Ashiya all over Kyoto, showing him all sorts of sights and things. It was quite enjoyable, really, despite Ashiya's complaints at the cost- at which Riku decided to just pay for them both (Ashiya didn't ask her to do that, also didn't want her to, but she did anyways). She'd taken him to lovely gardens where the pair enjoyed the beautiful scarlets and oranges that adorned the trees on that lovely November day, walking into small little shops to getting dragged into the Toji Temple Market. Which is where Ashiya- against his better judgement- somehow decided to buy Riku a gift of a pair of jade earrings that were immediately put on.

The day ended at the Shore-In temple, whose gardens were illuminated by thousands of tiny blue lights, giving the place an otherworldly glow. Ashiya thought it was amazing, seeing Riku in the soft blue lights, face lit up with awe and joy (she'd been there once before at night, but she still loved every moment). She turned to look at him. "Hey, Ashiya?"

"Yes, Riku-chan?" It felt weird, calling her that, but wonderful at the same time.

"Today's been really good. Thanks." She gave him a gorgeous, genuine smile that took his breath away. At which point Ashiya admitted to himself that yeah, he'd probably fallen for her pretty hard because there was no other person he'd ever met that was just so beautiful and amazing and wonderful as her (although he would still deny having said feelings if anyone had asked him).

They returned to the hotel after ten in the evening where everyone was waiting for them. Yuki tackled Riku as soon as they opened the door, which startled Ashiya although Riku seemed used to it. Ashiya wondered how Riku was able to handle such a hyper person.

"Guesswhatguesswhat?!" Yuki shouted, practically bouncing in her excitement.

"I don't know. What is it?" Riku asked.

"Well, you know how you were telling us that you were trying to help out Luci-kun and that you'd used that true form spell for only a few seconds before it backlashed?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, because Akira had this absolutely _brilliant_ idea to have you, me, Sora, Kiyoshi and Akira all pool together our power to use that same spell. It'd last about 24 hours and the backlash would be divided with all of us so nobody would have to pass out!"

"Wow, that's a really good idea," Riku said. "Akira, you're amazing. I mean, seriously. You're awesome."

Riku seriously hated Akira, now more than before.


End file.
